Department for Transport

Electronic Government

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department and agencies are taking to ensure alternative provision for people unable or unwilling to use digital services.

Claire Perry: The Department remains committed to providing multiple channels for access to its services to ensure they are available to people who remain either unable or unwilling to use digital services. It does so whilst being mindful of reducing the cost to taxpayers by encouraging the take-up of digital services to as wide a group of users as possible. It does this by making them as easy-to-use as possible in conformance with the Government Digital Service’s Digital-by-Default Service Standard published on GOV.UK.   Before going live every Digital by Default Service developed by the Department for Transport is also required to make sure appropriate Assisted Digital (AD) support is in place to extend the reach of digital services.

Railways: Franchises

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2014 to Question 212594, what the cost has been of each (a) direct award and (b) franchise extension since September 2012.

Claire Perry: The costs of negotiating the Direct Awards and Franchise Extensions since September 2012 are shown in the table below. Except where noted, figures include staff costs, advisers and “non-pay” administrative costs (for example, IT facilities, training and travel expenses). All figures include VAT.   FranchiseCost (£K)CommentsWest Coast (2012)10See Note 1 below C2C450Estimated adviser costs – staff costs and “non-pay” not included – see Note 2 belowFirst Capital Connect424Staff costs and “non-pay” not included – see Note 2 below Great Western(First Direct Award)200Estimated adviser costs – staff costs and “non-pay” not included – see Note 2 belowNorthern1,536  Greater Anglia1,088  West Coast (2014)842  Southeastern918 Note 1: The bulk of the costs relating to the 2012 West Coast franchise extension were charged to the re-franchising project and have not been scored separately.   Note 2: The initial Direct Awards (C2C, First Capital Connect and Great Western First Direct Award) were negotiated using resources redirected from elsewhere in the Department. We therefore have limited specific information relating to the costs of negotiating these deals.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Palestinians

Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much money was pledged by the UK Government at the recent International Donor Conference for Gaza held in Egypt.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: At the Gaza reconstruction conference on 12 October, which I attended alongside the Minister of State for International Development, the UK pledged £20m.

Israel

Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last discussed with his Israeli counterpart the planned building of 1,000 new houses in Jerusalem.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I issued a statement on 29 October condemning the announcement of plans for 1,060 new housing units in East Jerusalem. I made it clear that this was an ill-judged and ill-timed decision, which makes it harder to achieve a two state solution with Jerusalem as a shared capital. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have raised this issue with the Israeli National Security Adviser, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Political-Military Adviser, senior contacts at the National Security Council and the Cabinet Office.

Territorial Waters

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to declare a contiguous zone around the coastline of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There are no plans to declare a contiguous zone. A working group of government officials, led by the National Crime Agency, will meet in December to start considering the case for introducing the domestic powers which would be required before any contiguous zone could be enforced.

Burkina Faso

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will hold discussions with the African Union on the situation in Burkina Faso following the military coup in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire: Holding answer received on 07 November 2014



The UK strongly supports the co-ordinated response by the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) aimed at bringing the crisis in Burkina Faso to a swift and peaceful resolution. We call on the interim authorities to work peacefully with all parties to bring about a return to civilian democratic governance as soon as possible. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) discussed the situation in Burkina Faso with Smail Chergui, the African Union Peace and Security Commissioner on 14 October. We will continue to engage with the African Union and ECOWAS regularly as the situation evolves.

Diego Garcia

Mr Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 17 November 2008 to the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton, Official Report, columns 191-2W, on Diego Garcia: detainees, how many people were detained in the prison on Diego Garcia in each year from January 2002 to January 2009; and for what reasons and for how long each such person was detained.

Mr Hugo Swire: The main purpose of the UK detention facility on Diego Garcia, commonly known as the reception centre, is to hold illegal fishermen caught in the Territory's waters. It was opened in 2007. BIOT Administration records show that between the point of it opening and January 2009, only one person has been imprisoned there for a period of 10 days during 2008 for an offence of assault. In September, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office released information following a Freedom of Information Act request which showed that a number of Sri Lankans were also held during the period he asks about, for offences related to illegally fishing in BIOT waters. These were held in the police station which is located next to the reception centre.

Diego Garcia

Mr Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 20 November 2008 to the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton, Official Report, column 748W, on Diego Garcia: detainees, for how many years the US detention facility was open; and for what reasons the US detention facility was decommissioned.

Mr Hugo Swire: The US have informed us that holding cells were used to house US military personnel in accordance with the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice. The US has confirmed that it built these in 1984 and decommissioned them in 2007. UK authorities do not hold information as to the reasons for the US decision to decommission their holding cells.

Diego Garcia

Mr Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 20 November 2008 to the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton, Official Report, column 748W, on Diego Garcia: detainees, how many people were detained in the US detention facility on Diego Garcia before 2007; and for what reason.

Mr Hugo Swire: The US have informed us that US military personnel are held in these holding cells in accordance the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice. UK authorities do not maintain records of these detentions.

Iraq

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of international efforts to assist the Yazidi people; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: UK aid is reaching displaced people across Iraq, including in the Kurdish region, where many Yazidis have fled to. In August, the UK conducted seven air drops to provide life-saving aid to Yazidi people trapped on Mount Sinjar. Through these airdrops, the Department For International Development (DFID) provided over 80 tonnes of aid, including 9,400 reusable water purification containers filled with clean water, 1,000 solar lanterns, and 1,000 shelter kits for the people stranded on the mountain. DFID continue to assess the humanitarian situation. They have provided £23 million of aid to Iraq including £17.5 million of funding to UN agencies, Non Governmental Organisation partners and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to ensure displaced people get the basic assistance they need - including food, shelter, water, sanitation and medical care.

Diego Garcia

Mr Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the United States requested permission to use the UK detention facility on Diego Garcia between 2001 and 2009.

Mr Hugo Swire: The UK detention facility on Diego Garcia, commonly referred to as a reception centre, did not open until late 2007. There is no information to suggest that the US requested permission to use it during the period about which my honourable friend asks.

Members: Correspondence

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he expects to reply to the letter of 2 October 2014 to the hon. Member for Walsall North on behalf of a constituent on the subject of Bahrain.

Mr David Lidington: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), responded to the hon. Member on 5 November 2014.

Diego Garcia

Mr Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 20 November 2008, Official Report, column 748W, on Diego Garcia: detainees, how often and for what purpose UK officials visited the US detention facility on Diego Garcia when it was operational.

Mr Hugo Swire: It is entirely possible that UK military personnel visited the building in which the holding cells were located during the course of their normal duties, given the fact that Diego Garcia is a joint military facility, and the building was accessible to UK personnel. The US have told us that, when the holding cells were operational, they held US military personnel in accordance with the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice. No records were kept of any possible UK visits to the cells.

Iran

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the human rights situation in Iran.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Iran's human right's situation remains dire. We are particularly concerned by the sharp rise in the number of executions over the past year, the ongoing suppression of freedom of expression and treatment of religious and other minority groups. There have been some limited positive steps under President Rouhani’s government, but we are clear much more needs to be done to ensure all Iranians enjoy the rights and freedoms they are entitled to.

North Korea

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the human rights situation in North Korea.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is one of 28 Countries of Concern included in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's annual Human Rights Report. We continually monitor the situation on the ground and, as with other Countries of Concern, publish assessments on the GOV.UK website every three months to highlight key human rights developments in-country and internationally, and to report on actions that the UK has taken.Our most recent update covering the period between July and September 2014 notes little discernible improvement in the human rights situation. It is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/democratic-peoples-republic-of-korea-dprk-country-of-concern/democratic-peoples-republic-of-korea-dprk-country-of-concern. Despite recent suggestions by the DPRK that it might be willing to engage in a dialogue with the EU and UN on human rights issues, they have not acknowledged the extent of the international community’s concern, nor have they taken any practical actions to improve their human rights performance.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Government

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when she expects the political talks that she is chairing in Northern Ireland to conclude; and if she will make it her policy to place a paper on the conclusions of those talks in the Library.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: I propose to provide my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister with a report on the current talks by 28 November. I hope to be able to report positive progress.

Attorney General

Sexting: Young People

Maria Miller: To ask the Attorney General, how many cases including the sending of a nude or sexually explicit electronic image of an individual under the age of 18 where the perpetrator of the crime is under the age of 18 have been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service in the last three years; how many such cases have been taken forward for prosecution; and how many such prosecutions have been successful.

Jeremy Wright: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not collect specific data on suspects referred to the CPS for a charging decision where the sending of sexually explicit images of children is alleged. However, data is available to indicate the number of offences charged, in which a prosecution commenced at magistrates’ courts, for offences of involving indecent images of children. The two main offence provisions for the prosecution of offences relating to indecent images of children are section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1978 (making, distributing, showing or advertising indecent images of children) and section 160 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (possession of indecent images of children).   The table below sets out the number of offences charged by way of the above legislation, in each of the last three years, in England and Wales.  2011-20122012-20132013-2014Protection of Children Act 1978 { 1 }15,59914,69415,574Criminal Justice Act 1988 { 160 }3,8853,8494,265 Data Source: CPS Management Information System  It is not possible to disaggregate offences which relate to indecent images sent by way of an electronic device as opposed to other indecent image offences, cases where a conviction was obtained or the age of the perpetrator without reviewing individual case files incurring disproportionate cost.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Environment Protection: Employment

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what definition the Government uses of a green or low carbon job for the purposes of collating official statistics and announcements.

Matthew Hancock: Broadly, the green and low carbon area consists of goods and services designed for the protection of the environment; the production of renewable energy and the reduction of carbon emissions (either in the production of the relevant goods or services or in the use of the relevant goods or services).   There is no internationally agreed definition of green or low carbon, however the government has previously collected and published information on the size of low carbon and environmental goods and services sectors in the UK and is currently considering ways in which our understanding of this area can be improved, including discussing the role that ONS can play.

Post Offices: Rural Areas

Miss Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the impact of the network relocation programme on rural post offices.

Jo Swinson: The Government has committed nearly £2 billion since 2010 to maintain a network of at least 11,500 branches and to protect and modernise the network by 2018, securing its long-term sustainable future. The Post Office is continuing to meet strict access criteria that see, for example, 99% of the population living within three miles of a Post Office outlet.   The Post Office is also modernising and improving its national network, with thousands of branches benefiting from investment under the Government funded Network Transformation programme. To date over 3,300 post offices have already converted, to the new Local and Main models, delivering benefits to customers such as much longer opening hours and improved branch environments. In total, these modernised branches are providing over 85,000 additional opening hours a week; ensuring customers can access Post Office services at a time convenient to them.   Additionally, where a post office is “the last shop in the community”, which is the case in many rural communities, that branch is designated as a Community Branch, and is able to access and benefit from the £20 million Government funded Community Branch Fund.

Lighting

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will issue guidance to higher and further education institutions on implementing a replacement programme to introduce LED lighting in their buildings.

Greg Clark: Higher Education Institutions are autonomous and responsible for managing their own estates.   Since 2008 the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has provided £61 million in repayable grants to HE institutions to support projects which save money and reduce carbon emissions. A further £34m is being made available over the next two years.   Decisions on which institutions will benefit from this support will be announced early in the New Year. A large number of the project applications are for LED lighting.   FE colleges, as autonomous institutions, will make their own decisions on embracing sustainability principles across their estates. Criteria for funding from the Department included requirements for projects to achieve high levels of environmental performance.

Lighting

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make it his policy to implement a replacement programme to introduce LED lighting throughout his Department's buildings and sites; if he will estimate the proportion of lighting in his Department which is LED; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: Currently the Department are investigating replacing existing stairwell lighting at 1 Victoria Street with LED lighting. Unfortunately the department cannot afford to switch all lighting to LED due to the large investment needed to do this. However lighting is gradually being upgraded to LED throughout the estate such as the recent Conference Centre lighting project and LED lighting has also been introduced to lift cars and the underground car park. Another key factor to address is the lease expiry on buildings as the department do not own the buildings it occupies, a clear payback must be achieved before the lease expires. In the current economic climate the department faces significant funding cuts and must prioritise spending accordingly. This has resulted in a limited expenditure on estate services and a prioritisation on providing and maintaining key services. I would not be able to estimate the proportion of LED lighting without carrying out a comprehensive survey across all sites which would not be time or cost effective.

Biotechnology

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to promote the UK as a location of choice for life science investment in trade missions.

Matthew Hancock: The Life Sciences Organisation (LSO), sitting within UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), is responsible for promoting the UK as an investment destination for life sciences, as well as supporting UK companies to increase exports to other markets. The team comprises a mixture of industry specialists and experienced civil servants, who together provide a range of support to potential investors and exporters. The LSO has developed a suite of marketing materials that showcase the UK’s life sciences capabilities across a number of priority sub-sectors, including but not limited to pharmaceutical manufacturing, regenerative medicine and experimental medicine & clinical trials. Within each theme the LSO promotes the UK through direct, in-market company visits and/or tailored events and activities around the world, and works with international companies that would be well placed to take advantage of the UK offer. In 2013/14, the Life Sciences Organisation delivered 136 FDI projects creating or safeguarding more than 3,500 jobs.

Biotechnology

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs in each region and constituent part of the UK which are supported by the life science industry.

George Freeman: There are no published official statistics on the regional distribution of life science industry jobs. The table below includes an estimate of employment in 2013 in companies active in three “health life science” sectors: Medical Biotechnology, Medical Technology and Pharmaceuticals, by region and by constituent part of the UK, obtained from the Bioscience and Health Technology company database used by the Office for Life Sciences. The figures are based on locations of active sites for which employment figures can be obtained. They do not include those employed by public or third sector organisations nor employment in companies whose main activity falls outside life sciences, including indirect suppliers to the sector.  Number of employees in health life science industry ‘000s 2013East Midlands9.5East of England28.8Greater London13.6North East England7.1North West England17.0South East England36.8South West England8.2West Midlands14.5Yorkshire and the Humber13.5England total149.0  Northern Ireland4.3Scotland11.5Wales9.1UK Total173.9Source: Bioscience and Health Technology database, an annual summary of the data was published as “Strength and Opportunity 2013, the landscape of the medical technology, medical biotechnology, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors in the UK”

Construction: Employment

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the prevalence of the practice of retentions as a means of insurance in the construction industry; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles: The withholding of a retention is a common contractual practice in the construction industry. Through the Construction Leadership Council the Government is working with the construction industry to move towards a position where retentions are no longer needed, as part of a more general set of measures on good payment practices.

Business: Investment

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he agrees that responsible and sustainable investment practices are beneficial to businesses, the wider economy and society as a whole.

Matthew Hancock: Yes.

EU External Trade: USA

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the UK has supported inclusion of the investor-state dispute settlement system in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations.

Matthew Hancock: The Government believes it is in the UK's interest to create modern investment provisions in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) to both encourage investment and create a potential model for future trade and investment agreements with other countries. The Government wants provisions which guarantee the right of governments to legislate in the public interest, while assuring access to justice for investors who are discriminated against or treated unfairly.

Construction: Employment

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what guidance his Department issues on the use of retentions as insurance in the construction industry; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles: This Department has issued no guidance on the use of retentions in the construction industry.

Big Society Network

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the total value of (a) financial and (b) non-financial support provided by his Department to the Big Society Network since 2010.

Jo Swinson: The Core Department has not made any payments to the Big Society Network during the requested period. Records detailing non-financial support are not held centrally by the Department.

Society Network Foundation

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the total value of (a) financial and (b) non-financial support provided by his Department to the Society Network Foundation between 2010 and 2014.

Jo Swinson: The Core Department has not made any payments to the Society Network Foundation during the requested period. Records detailing non-financial support are not held centrally by the Department.

Big Society Network

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what office space his Department provided to the Big Society Network between 2010 and 2014.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have not provided any space to the Big Society Network between 2010 and 2014. There have been no requests for space.

Society Network Foundation

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what office space his Department provided to the Society Network Foundation between 2010 and 2014.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have not provided any space to the Society Network Foundation between 2010 and 2014. There have been no requests for space.

Minimum Wage: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has received from the Scottish Government regarding the national minimum wage; and if he will place in the Library any representations so received.

Jo Swinson: We have received no representations from the Scottish Government regarding the national minimum wage.

Minimum Wage: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of how many people earned less than the national minimum wage in Scotland in each year since 2010-11.

Jo Swinson: The most reliable estimates come from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. These are set out below for Scotland. However, there are limitations to the survey. In particular, there is limited scope to use the data to identify where the National Minimum Wage apprentice rate would apply, rather than the equivalent age rate, prior to 2013-14. The apprentice minimum wage rate is lower than for the equivalent minimum age rates for workers. Not taking into account when the apprentice rate would apply will therefore tend to over-estimate the level of non-compliance. An estimate for 2013-14 is also provided below taking into account where the lower apprentice rate would apply.   YearEstimates of NMW non-compliance in Scotland Not taking into account when the apprentice rate would applyTaking into account when the apprentice rate would apply 2010-1119,000- 2011-1220,000- 2012-1320,000- 2013-1416,00011,000 Source: ASHE datasets for 2010-14 NMW rates are caclulated by taking age into account, data on apprentices is only available for 2013-14The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. Individuals should contact the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368. HMRC investigates every complaint made.

Minimum Wage: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of how many people earn exactly the national minimum wage in Scotland.

Jo Swinson: Using 2013-14 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data, an estimated 85,000 people earn the National Minimum Wage in Scotland.   The most reliable estimate comes from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. However, there are limitations to the survey. In particular, there is limited scope to use the data to identify where the apprentice rate would apply, rather than the equivalent age rate.

Department for International Development

Iraq

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department is giving to the Yazidi people; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Desmond Swayne: In August, the UK conducted seven air drops to provide life-saving aid to Yazidi people trapped on Mount Sinjar. Through these airdrops, DFID provided over 80 tonnes of aid, including 9,400 reusable water purification containers filled with clean water, 1,000 solar lanterns, and 1,000 shelter kits for the people stranded on the mountain.   In addition, DFID has provided £17.5 million of funding to UN agencies, NGO partners and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). This funding will allow partners to provide basic life-saving assistance, including food, shelter, water, sanitation and medical care. Our aid is reaching displaced people across Iraq, including in the Kurdish region, where many Yazidis have fled to.

Department for Education

Missing People: Hampshire

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people under the age of 18 in the care of Hampshire County Council have been reported missing in the last three years; and how many such people are still unaccounted for.

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people under the age of 18 in the care of Southampton City Council have been reported missing in the last three years; and how many such people are still unaccounted for.

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people under the age of 18 in the care of Portsmouth City Council have been reported missing in the last three years; and how many such people are still unaccounted for.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education currently collects information on children looked after by local authorities in England who went missing from their agreed placement for a period of 24 hours or more. The table attached shows the number of children who went missing from their agreed placement whilst looked after by Hampshire, Portsmouth or Southampton local authority, during the years ending 31 March 2012 to 2014. Children who went missing on more than one occasion during the year have been recorded only once for that year. The table also shows the number of these children who were still missing at 31 March 2014, the latest date for which data are available. In addition to these, there will also be some children who have turned 18, and therefore ceased to be looked after whilst missing. In such cases, information is not collected on whether these young people are still missing. Comparisons with other data sources, including numbers of missing children reported to the police, indicate that the number of children missing from their agreed placement may be an undercount of the true figure and should be treated with caution. Extensive work on improving the quality of this data has been undertaken during the past two years’ data collections. An increase in the number of children missing from their agreed placement over recent years may therefore be due to improved recording rather than a true increase. From 2015, the information will be collected differently to improve the quality. 



Table of missing children looked after: 2012-14
(Word Document, 29.5 KB)

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the CBI on careers provision in English schools; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Boles: My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has confirmed that she wants to see improvements to the quality of careers advice and guidance available to young people. Ensuring that many more schools and employers work together to provide excellent support is central to this. The Department for Education is consulting to examine what further steps it can take to improve provision. A number of employers and education sector representatives, including the CBI, participated in a roundtable discussion on 28 October 2014 to discuss how we can prepare young people for the world of work more effectively.

Sexting

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many incidents of sexting among pupils have occurred in schools in England and Wales in each of the last five years; and what guidance her Department issues to schools on this matter.

Mr Nick Gibb: The Department for Education does not collect data on incidents of sexting among pupils. All schools in England are required, by law, to have a behaviour policy which includes measures to tackle bullying, including cyberbullying which covers sexting. We have not produced specific advice on sexting but we have issued clear and succinct advice to schools on preventing and tackling bullying, including cyberbullying. This information is published online at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullyingCertain instances of bullying, harassment and threatening behaviour, including the sharing of indecent images should be reported to the police. This is made clear in our advice to schools. Good schools create an ethos where bullying, including cyberbullying and sexting do not happen in the first place, and they deal with it promptly if it does occur to ensure the victim does not suffer continuing distress.From September 2014, e-safety is being taught at all four key stages of the curriculum in England. It covers responsible, respectful and secure use of technology, as well as ensuring that pupils are taught age-appropriate ways of reporting any concerns they may have about what they see or encounter online.Children and young people are being taught about the different and escalating risks they may encounter as they get older (initially relating to online content, then to the conduct of and contact with others, which can include sexting).Schools can help to contain cyber-bullying and sexting during the school day by banning or limiting the use of mobile phones and other electronic devices. Search powers included in the Education Act 2011 have given teachers the power to search for, and if necessary delete, inappropriate images (or files) on electronic devices, including mobile phones.Ofsted now holds schools clearly to account for how well they deal with behaviour and bullying. Since January 2012, inspectors must consider pupils’ freedom from bullying, including cyberbullying, harassment and discrimination. In January 2014, Ofsted produced briefing for inspectors when considering e-safety in schools. This makes clear that school inspectors should consider the schools’ ability to protect and educate pupils in their use of technology.

Ministry of Justice

Harassment: Social Networking

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps she has taken to tackle harassment on social media.

Mike Penning: The Government is absolutely clear that abusive and threatening behaviour online – whoever the target - is totally unacceptable. There is a number of offences which may be committed by those abusing others on social media. Internet communication which is grossly offensive or menacing may fall under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003. Sending indecent, grossly offensive or threatening material to another with the purpose of causing distress or anxiety to a person to whom the material is communicated, including by means of the internet, is also an offence under the Malicious Communications Act 1988. Internet abuse could also amount to an offence under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 if its distribution is carried out as part of a ‘course of conduct’ which alarms a person or causes distress. Under section 4 of that Act, it is also an offence to pursue a course of conduct that repeatedly puts someone in fear of violence. Changes to the law being taken forward in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill will increase the maximum penalty for offences under the Malicious Communications Act 1988 to 2 years imprisonment, and extend the time within which prosecutions under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 may be brought, to up to three years, as opposed to the current six month limit. A new criminal offence of disclosing private sexual photographs and films without the consent of the individual appearing in the photograph or film and with intent to cause them distress is also being created in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill. This is intended to deal with the behaviour commonly known as ‘revenge porn’. The offence will carry a two year maximum prison sentence.These steps will help to ensure that people who commit these awful crimes are prosecuted and properly punished.

Legal Profession

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 on (a) the provision of legal services and (b) small solicitors and legal firms.

Mr Shailesh Vara: A full assessment of the impact of our proposals was conducted as part of the consultation on legal aid reform. This was updated at Royal Assent to Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. A Post Implementation Review will be conducted 3 -5 years after implementation.

Insolvency

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the open letter sent to him from business organisations dated 15 October 2014 on their concerns about the effect of changes to insolvency litigation contained in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Mr Shailesh Vara: No discussions have taken place between the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State about the effects of the no win no fee reforms on insolvency proceedings. Officials are having ongoing discussions with other government departments on issues relating to and arising from the LASPO Act 2012.

Directors: Misconduct

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent representations he has received on the effect of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 on the Government's ability to tackle director misconduct.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Legal Aid, Sentencing, and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 includes a range of important measures to reform sentencing, protect the public, tackle reoffending and reform legal aid. None of these measures impact on the Government’s ability to tackle director misconduct.

Prisoners on Remand

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what average time was spent on remand in each year since 2010.

Mr Shailesh Vara: My officials are currently working to provide the information requested. We will write to you in due course once this work is complete.

Prisoners on Remand

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who were held on remand in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 were subsequently convicted and immediately released.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what offence each person held on remand in each year since 2010 was convicted of; and what average custodial sentence was handed down to such people.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people held on remand in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 were subsequently (i) convicted and (ii) found not guilty.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Bail and remand decisions are quite rightly for the courts to make, based on the facts of the particular case. In making remand decisions, courts must balance the risk that release on bail might pose to the public or to the administration of justice, against the detention of a person who may prove to be innocent. Defendants who are dangerous and pose a threat to society should always be remanded in custody. The number of defendants remanded in custody who were subsequently found guilty and did not receive immediate custody in each year from 2010 to 2013 can be found in the tables listed with web links below. These tables also show the number of defendants remanded in custody who were found not guilty and the number found guilty in each year under ‘Acquitted or not proceeded with etc.’ and ‘Total Defendants sentenced’ respectively. 2013https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-december-2013‘Court proceedings tables’ – Table A3.7 2012https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-march-2013‘Revised remands tables – December 2012’ – Table A3.7 2010 and 2011https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-statistics-in-england-and-wales-earlier-editions-in-the-series‘Court proceedings tables: Dec 2011’ – Table A3.7‘Court proceedings tables’ under title ‘Criminal justice statistics, England and Wales 2010’ – Table A3.7  Attached is a table showing the number of offenders remanded in custody and found guilty, by offence, in each year from 2010 to 2013, in England and Wales. This table also shows the average custodial sentence length of those offenders given immediate custody. On 28th May 2013 committal hearings were abolished nationally as part of wider measures to speed up justice and improve efficiencies in the justice system. Cases are now being sent straight to the Crown Court as soon as it is clear the matter is serious enough rather than having to await a committal hearing. This change in proceedings led to a change in the recording of magistrates’ court remands data. As a result, care should be taken when attempting to identify trends.  



Offenders remanded in custody
(Excel SpreadSheet, 32.5 KB)

Prisoners on Remand

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been held on remand in each month since May 2010.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Bail and remand decisions are quite rightly for the courts to make, based on the facts of the particular case. In making remand decisions, courts must balance the risk that release on bail might pose to the public or to the administration of justice, against the detention of a person who may prove to be innocent. Defendants who are dangerous and pose a threat to society should always be remanded in custody. Information on the number of prisoners held on remand in each month in England and Wales is published routinely in the ‘Offender Management Statistics Quarterly bulletin’ and can be found in Table A1.1 via the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/339036/prison-population-2014.xls More current data can be found in Table 1.1 of the prison population tables via the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/368442/prison-population-q3-2014.xls

Wetherby Young Offender Institution

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons Wetherby Young Offenders Institution has been redesignated to a Secure College of Learning.

Andrew Selous: Wetherby young offender’s institution remains designated as Her Majesty’s Prison and Young Offender Institution and there are no plans to change this.

Youth Custody

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders in youth custody have been placed in segregation units in each year since May 2010.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) average and (b) longest periods of time is that offenders in youth custody have been placed in segregation units in each year since May 2010.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Overall crime and proven offending by young people has fallen in recent years. Fewer young people have entered the criminal justice system, and as a result fewer young people have ended up in custody. The average number of young people in custody fell from 2,418 in 2009/10 to 1,233 in 2013/14, a decrease of 49%. There are some occasions when it is necessary to remove young people from association because their behaviour is likely to be so disruptive that keeping them on ordinary location would be unsafe, or because their own safety and wellbeing cannot reasonably be assured by other means. Removal from association cannot be used as a punishment, and there are careful limits placed on the length of time for which young people can be separated. In the consultation on our plans for Secure College Rules we are seeking views on the safeguards that should be included in the Rules to ensure that separation is used appropriately in Secure Colleges. Young people in Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) cannot be removed from association and placed in a separation and care unit for more than 72 hours without the authority of the Secretary of State. If authorised by the Secretary of State, separation cannot be for longer than for 14 days, but it may be renewed after review for the same period again. The Secure Training Centre (STC) rules state that a young person cannot be removed from association for more than three hours in any 24-hour period. The regulatory framework for Secure Children Homes (SCH) does not set a time limit on the use of separation. The Youth Justice Board (YJB) for England & Wales does not collect data on the number of offenders who were subject to separation[1], but does collect data on the number of incidents of separation. Table 1 below shows the number of incidents of separation that took place in STCs and SCHs in each year since April 2010. Table 1: The number of separation incidents in SCHs and STCs in each year since April 2010Establishment type2010/112011/122012/132013/14[2]Secure Children’s Home3,3503,3182,3201,899Secure Training Centre1,112563392488Total4,4623,8812,7122,387 The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) does not collect data on the number of young offenders who were subject to an incident of separation, but does count the total number of young people in segregation[3] in each 24-hour period. For example, one young person in segregation for five days and one young person segregated for two hours would count as six young people in segregation (5 days + 1 day). This data is, however, only available for the period from October 2012 to September 2014.Table 2 shows the total number of young people in segregation in YOIs in each year since October 2012, based on adding together the daily counts of the number of young people in segregation in each 24-hour period. Due to the nature of the counting rules, this does not indicate the number of individual young people held in segregation, as an incident can be counted multiple times if the segregation period covers more than a single 24-hour period. Table 2: Total number of young people in segregation in YOIs in each year since October 2012, based on adding together the daily counts of the number of young people in segregation in each 24-hour periodEstablishment typeOct-12 to Sep-13Oct-13 to Sep-14Young Offender Institution10,7787,970 The Youth Justice Board collects data on time in separation in both STCs and SCHs in the following time bands: 0-15 minutes, 16-30 minutes, 31-60 minutes, 61-120 minutes, 121-180 minutes and 181+ minutes. Therefore it is not possible to state the average duration or the longest period of time for which young people are in separation. NOMS does not hold the equivalent data for YOIs. Table 3 shows the number of separation incidents in STCs and SCHs in each year since April 2010 by duration band.Table 3: The number of separation incidents in SCHs and STCs in each year since April 2010 by duration band[4]DurationEstablishment Type2010/112011/122012/132013/14[5]0 - 15 minutesSecure Children's Homes440460319232Secure Training Centres434192166183Total87465248541516 - 30 minutesSecure Children's Homes874955572474Secure Training Centres347191104136Total1,2211,14667661031 - 60 minutesSecure Children's Homes913954656540Secure Training Centres288146100139Total1,2011,10075667961 - 120 minutesSecure Children's Homes567537429381Secure Training Centres36252013Total603562449394121 - 180 minutesSecure Children's Homes265172151119Secure Training Centres77215Total272179153134181+ minutesSecure Children's Homes292245193153Secure Training Centres0202Total292247193155[1] Separation is defined as where, during the core day, including evenings and weekends, a young person is removed from his/her scheduled activity and placed away from other young people and members of staff without any meaningful interaction and is prevented from returning even where he/she may request to do so. Separation does not include instances where:• A young person is interacting meaningfully with a member of staff• A young person can choose to re-join the scheduled activity• A young person is separated as part of formally agreed rewards and sanctions (such as early bed sanction)• Any aspects of the normal routine, such as lock down [2] Data for 2013/14 is provisional and will be finalised in the 2013/14 Youth Justice Statistics in January 2015. [3]YOI prisoners can be held in segregation on the following Prison / YOI Rules:· Under Prison Rule 45 (YOI Rule 49) – Good Order or Discipline.· Under Prison Rule 45 (YOI Rule 49) – Own protection.· Under Prison Rule 53(4) (YOI Rule 58(4)) – Prisoner awaiting an adjudication to start may be kept apart from other prisoners pending the governor’s first inquiry.· Under Prison Rule 55(h) (YOI Rule 60(g)) – Removal from wing/unit for a prisoner found guilty of an offence against discipline. [4] These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.[5] Data for 2013/14 is provisional and will be finalised in the 2013/14 Youth Justice Statistics in January 2015.

Youth Custody

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the proportion of offenders in youth custody who are black, Asian and minority ethnic in each year since May 2010.

Andrew Selous: The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB) is working in partnership with a wide range of public, private and voluntary and community sector organisations to seek to take preventative action to ensure that young people do not end up in custody. This includes programmes to work with certain ethnic groups and disadvantaged young people, to prevent them from becoming involved in crime. The estimated proportions of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BME) offenders in youth custody are shown in Table 1 below: Proportion of under-18 BME offenders (including Asian, black, mixed and other ethnicity) in custody based on the average number of offenders in the 12 months starting May 2010 to the 12 months starting May 2013. BMEAverage no. of BME offenders in youth custodyAverage no. of offenders in youth custodyPercentage proportion of BME offenders in youth custody2010/116002,02330%2011/125681,95329%2012/135641,49938%2013/144651,21738%  More detailed figures showing the number of offenders in youth custody who are black, Asian and minority ethnic in each month from April 2005 to August 2014 can be accessed via following link (see tab 2.6 Ethnicity):https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/367369/youth-custody-report-august-2014.xlsThe data provided is a monthly snapshot of the custodial population in the secure estate for children and young people, taken on the last Friday of the month or first Friday of the following month, depending on which is nearer to the actual month end. From April 2012, the under-18 custody population data comes from the eAsset database. This is the booking system the Youth Justice Board's Placements Service uses to book young people into custody. The information prior to April 2012 comes from the Youth Justice Board's (YJB’s) Secure Accommodation Clearing House System (SACHS) database.

Youth Custody

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his policy is on allowing former offenders to visit youth custody environments.

Andrew Selous: The Government believes reformed offenders can play a positive role in rehabilitating young and adult offenders through mentoring and demonstrating the possibility for change. It is for the Governors of Young Offender Institutions, Directors of Secure Training Centres and Managers of Secure Children’s Homes to approve the visit of any person to a custodial establishment. Consideration will be given to the purpose of the visit, an assessment of the risk that the individual poses, and to wider responsibilities to ensure that young people are safeguarded at all times.

Drugs: Misuse

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2014, to Question 212152, how many people convicted of possession of (a) class A, (b) class B and (c) class C drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 were (i) cautioned, (ii) given a custodial sentence, (iii) fined, (iv) given a community resolution and (v) given some other form of discharge in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning: Whilst crime is falling, sentences are getting more severe. Since 2010, offenders are more likely to go to prison, and for longer. We believe that court will always be the right place for serious and contested cases, as well as persistent offenders. There is a range of sentences available to independent judges to impose on offenders found guilty of a crime. We are clear that prison will always be the right place for serious offenders. In addition, financial penalties play a vital role within the sentencing framework, however they must have real bite and must be enforced. The Government is already legislating to restrict the use of cautions and has recently outlined proposals to go further and replace cautions in England and Wales, with a system of suspended prosecutions. The aim is to ensure that there are more direct consequences in future for committing even minor crimes. This new approach will empower victims and give them a say in how criminals are dealt with, as well as making it easier for officers to deal with more minor offences. Details of the numbers of cautions issued by the police and the number of defendants found guilty and sentenced at all courts, with outcomes, for possession of class A, class B and class C drugs, in England and Wales, from 2009 to 2013 (latest available) can be viewed on the Ministry of Justice website at the available link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311455/cjs-outcomes-by-offence-2009-2013.xls Under Offence drop down list select: 1) Possession of a controlled drug class A2) Possession of a controlled drug class B3) Possession of a controlled drug class C

Prime Minister

Northern Ireland

Ian Paisley: To ask the Prime Minister, when he next plans to visit Northern Ireland.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 5 November 2014, Official Report, column 819.

Qatar

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, whether he raised the funding of the al-Nusra Front with the Emir of Qatar during his meeting on 29 October 2014; and what agreement was reached at that meeting on co-operation between the UK and Qatar to stop the illegal funding of terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq by Qatari nationals.

Mr David Cameron: I discussed the issue of terrorist financing with His Highness The Emir, and the role that both our countries can play to tackle it. I welcomed the recent legislation to prevent terrorist funding in Qatar by regulating charities that are involved in politics or send money abroad and encouraged swift implementation of this legislation. We agreed to increase cooperation on sharing information on groups of concern.

Ministry of Defence

Defence

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list his Department's (a) category A, (b) category B and (c) category C defence projects.

Mr Philip Dunne: Holding answer received on 22 October 2014



A list of all Ministry of Defence (MOD) Category A, B and C Projects is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.A list of Category A, B and C Projects for Equipment (including Information, Communications and Technology but excluding Equipment Support Programmes) and Infrastructure is held and is provided in the tables attached. I am, however, withholding a number of project titles for the purpose of safeguarding national security, and that their release would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.Category A, B and C Equipment Projects are defined as those valued in excess of £400 million; between £100 and £400 million; and between £20 and £100 million respectively. The tables contain only those projects at the post Initial Gate/pre-In-Service Date stage.Infrastructure projects categories A and C are defined as those valued in excess of £100 million; and between £10 and £100 million respectively. There is no Category B for Infrastructure Projects.Further information on major projects throughout Government, including Defence, can be found in the Cabinet Office Government Major Projects Portfolio. This is available on the gov.uk website at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/major-projects-authority-annual-report-2014



Infrastructure Projects
(Word Document, 199.5 KB)

Annual Reports

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons his Department's Annual Report and Accounts for 2013-14 has not yet been published; and when that report is due to be published.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 requires HM Treasury to lay the accounts of departments before the House of Commons not later than 31 January of the financial year following that to which they relate.The accounts of the Ministry of Defence for 2013-14 will be laid before Parliament in accordance with that statutory deadline.

HMS Artful

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) predicted and (b) actual cost to the public purse was of the construction of HMS Artful; and what the (i) predicted and (ii) actual date of handover of HMS Artful to the Royal Navy was.

Mr Julian Brazier: The first three Astute class submarines were ordered as a single batch. It is therefore not possible to identify separately the construction costs for Artful. The planned date of handover of Artful to the Royal Navy is August 2015.

Department for Work and Pensions

Oil: Refineries

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many former refineries that have been converted to import and distribution terminals are currently under review by the Health and Safety Executive to meet post-Buncefield compliance regulations.

Mr Mark Harper: Since 2005 two refineries have indicated a transition to fuel import and distribution operations. One refinery conversion is nearing completion, and the other is at the planning stage. All new and substantially modified fuel storage sites storing large quantities of gasoline (petrol) should meet the standards set out in the Process Safety Leadership Group (PSLG) Final Report published in 2009 before operations commence. None of the former refineries are currently under review by HSE. They are subject to routine regulatory scrutiny under the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1999 (COMAH) by the COMAH Competent Authority.

Jobcentre Plus

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many violent incidents have occurred in UK jobcentres in each year since January 2011.

Esther McVey: A new web based reporting database was introduced in September 2011 enabling incidents to be reported immediately and more easily. Violent incidents are recorded as Actual (Physical) Assault incidents. As such, the following Actual Assault incidents recorded each year since January 2011 were: 2011 - 3922012 – 6462013 – 6282014 to September - 372

Vacancies: Internet

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the number of duplicate job postings on the Universal Jobmatch website.

Esther McVey: We have rigorous checks built into the service, which help to detect, deter and remedy inappropriate use of the site. When we identify a duplicate job, we remove it.

Vacancies: Internet

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of (a) duplicate and (b) expired job postings on the Universal Jobmatch website.

Esther McVey: (a)We have rigorous checks built into the service, which help to detect, deter and remedy inappropriate use of the site. When we identify a duplicate job, we remove it.(b) When an employer posts a job they set an expiry date which they can change at any time or close the job earlier when it is filled. However, to maintain the system, the UJ service will automatically set an expiry date of 60 days. However, if we are informed that a job is no longer available we will investigate and ensure the vacancy is expired if appropriate. This can be done by using the 'Contact Us' facility within Universal Jobmatch.

Pensions: Financial Assistance Scheme

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the number of members of pension schemes who did not receive a tax-free lump sum on receipt of pension in the few months prior to the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) regulations adopted in April 2010, which allowed members who were not already in receipt of pension payments to give up some of their FAS assistance for a lump sum payment on transfer of the scheme to FAS.

Steve Webb: The FAS may pay members of schemes which transfer their assets to government a tax-free lump sum when payments begin, provided their scheme has not paid them during the winding up period. In the three months from January to March 2010, 263 such members were paid a scheme pension and did not receive a tax-free lump sum.

Employment and Support Allowance: Disqualification

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for how long the average employment and support allowance sanction lasted in each year since 2008.

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for how long the average jobseeker's allowance sanction lasted in each year since 2008.

Esther McVey: The information requested in relation to both Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) sanction durations is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Pay

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Instant Rewards of what value were given to his Department's officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Steve Webb: DWP employees up to Grade 6 are eligible to be nominated for an in-year performance award. These are one-off payments, made to recognise exceptional achievements and/or contributions to business performance. In-year awards can be made at any time during the performance year and are paid either as retail vouchers between £25 and £50 or cash payments of £50 or above. Senior Civil Servants are not eligible to receive these payments. The total amount available for in-year awards is 0.23% of total paybill. During the 2013/14 financial year 100,585 in-year awards, worth £5,030,126 were made, which equates to 0.19% of paybill. Between April and Sept 2014 41,370 in-year awards, with a value of £1,778,015, were made, which equates to 0.15% of paybill.

Freedom of Information

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on legal fees over prevention of release of information requested by Freedom of Information requests since 2010.

Steve Webb: Legal costs relating to Freedom of Information litigation are not held centrally by the Department. Determining these costs since 2010 would exceed the disproportionate limit.

Mobile Phones

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on iPhones in each year since 2010.

Steve Webb: iPhone expenditure since 2010 (by financial year): 2010/11 = £0.002011/12 = £1,627.912012/13 = £883.202013/14 = £552.642014/15* = £157.65 (*up to 5th October 2014) (values are inclusive of VAT)

Housing Benefit: Northern Ireland

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants there are of housing benefit in Northern Ireland.

Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on the 03 November 2014 to Question UIN 212673.

Jobcentre Plus: Motherwell

Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were employed at Motherwell Jobcentre Plus (a) full and (b) part-time in each year since 2012.

Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were employed at Bellshill Jobcentre Plus (a) full and (b) part-time in each year since 2012.

Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were employed at the Pensions Service Agency in Motherwell (a) full and (b) part-time in each year since 2012.

Steve Webb: The following tables show the number of full-time and part-time employees in Motherwell Jobcentre, Bellshill Jobcentre, and Motherwell Pensions Centre at March 2012, March 2013 and March 2014. Motherwell JobcentrePeriodFull timePart timeTotalMarch 20127637113March 20136246108March 20144857105 Bellshill JobcentrePeriodFull timePart timeTotalMarch 20127544119March 20136242104March 2014465399 Motherwell Pensions CentrePeriodFull timePart timeTotalMarch 2012365207572March 2013338221559March 2014296236532

Older People: Anniversaries

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a Government financial recognition payment to all citizens who reach the age of 100 years.

Steve Webb: We have no plans to do so. This Government wants all pensioners to have a decent and secure income throughout their retirement. The restoration of the earnings link in legislation and the introduction of the coalition commitment to the triple guarantee benefit pensioners by providing a more generous State Pension, giving a solid financial foundation from the State which is essential as part of the pensions system. As a result of the Government's triple lock policy, someone on a full basic State Pension can expect to receive £440 more in 2014/15 than if it had been up-rated by earnings since the start of this Parliament, and the basic State Pension is forecast to represent a higher share of average earnings than at any time since 1992.

Pensions

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he plans to take to ensure that consumers are protected from rogue pension schemes.

Steve Webb: Under Project Bloom DWP and other agencies are already working together with the pensions industry to crackdown on pensions scams. Actions include: · A tightening of HMRC’s pension scheme registration, as called for by industry, including the introduction of a fit and proper person test.· A further wave of the Pensions Regulator’s well-received Scorpion information campaign highlighting the threat posed by pension scams, with further waves happening early next year.· The launch of the Financial Conduct Authority’s Scamsmart campaign.· Police raids.· Closing down websites used to facilitate pension scams. More generally, the Pensions Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority work together with trustees and providers to ensure that occupational pension scheme members’ and consumers’ contract based pensions are safe.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on making receipt of universal credit by claimants in work subject to conditions; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2014, Official Report, column 522, what the evidential basis is for his statement that there has been very little movement of more than about five miles from people's existing homes as a result of the benefit cap.

Esther McVey: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Employment and Support Allowance: Ethnic Groups

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) number and (b) proportion of people claiming employment and support allowance are classified as BME.

Mr Mark Harper: The information requested on the number of Employment and Support Allowance recipients, by ethnicity is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool   The figures can be then used to calculate the proportions of the total caseload required.   Guidance for users is available at:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

Flexible Support Fund

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what reports he has received of false benefit off-flow claims from jobcentres involving misuse of the Flexible Support Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: Since the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) was introduced in 2011/2012 the department has investigated one incident concluding that there was a link between misuse of FSF and claimants going off benefit.

Poverty: Children

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the level of child poverty is in (a) each constituency in London, (b) London, (c) England, (d) Scotland, (e) Wales and (f) Northern Ireland.

Esther McVey: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Pay

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Instant Rewards of what value were given to her Department's officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Dan Rogerson: The Department does not have or operate an Instant Rewards policy.

Mobile Homes: Water Charges

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received on park home owners being able to be individually metered for water use.

Dan Rogerson: We have not received any recent representation from park home owners on this topic. The majority of premises either receive their water and sewerage services from a water company or a reseller. A customer of a water company can request (under the Water Industry Act 1991) a water meter and if it is not feasible to fit one (due to it being impractical or unduly costly) they will be moved across to an assessed charge. The assessed charge should ‘bear as much relation as possible to the volumes of water such customers would be likely to use’ and are normally based on the average metered bill for the area or the number of bedrooms. Those customers of resellers (and this can include sheltered accommodation, housing association properties, flats above commercial premises, caravan parks and park homes) can ask for a meter to be fitted but there is no legal requirement on the reseller to do this. The industry regulator, Ofwat, regulates the resale market through The Water Resale Order 2006 (section 150 of the Water Industry Act 1991) and provides examples on how the charges should be apportioned.

Home Office

Sexting

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department can take to remove illegal sexting images sent through mobile telephones and other electronic devices; and how many such images have been so removed in each of the last five years.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Sexting: Young People

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many allegations of sexting, in cases where images of people under the age of 18 have been taken and or stored by other under the age of 18 have been reported to the police in each police authority area in each of the last five years; and how many such cases were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service for a prosecution decision.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

HM Treasury

Co-operative Bank

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on investigating the performance of the Co-operative Bank in 2013 under powers in the Financial Services Act 2012.

Andrea Leadsom: The Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority have announced enforcement investigations into the Co-operative Bank, which are currently ongoing.   The investigation under powers in the Financial Services Act 2012 into events at the Co-operative Bank, and the circumstances surrounding them, will not start until it is clear that it will not prejudice any enforcement actions the relevant authorities may take.

Fuels: Excise Duties

Justin Tomlinson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what effect changes to fuel duty have had on the price of petrol in the last five years.

Priti Patel: Since 2011, the Government has abolished the previous government’s fuel duty escalator, cut fuel duty by 1 pence per litre in March 2011 and scrapped four planned increases over the parliament. As a result of this Government’s actions, average pump prices are currently 16 pence per litre lower than they would have been under the previous Government’s fuel duty plans, and will be nearly 20 pence per litre lower by the end of the parliament.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Fracking: Wales

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of hydraulic fracturing being adopted in the Welsh valleys on seismic activity in that area.

Matthew Hancock: Expert advice is that hydraulic fracturing activities are not expected to lead to any increase in normally-occuring seismic activity in any area of the UK.

Lighting

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will make it his policy to implement a replacement programme to introduce LED lighting throughout his Department's buildings and sites; if he will estimate the proportion of lighting in his Department which is LED; and if he will make a statement.

Amber Rudd: It is the policy of the Department of Energy and Climate Change to run its estate as energy efficiently as possible and make significant reductions in its energy use. This is done through a range of measures which are carefully assessed for their feasibility and cost effectiveness. Using this approach DECC has installed LED lighting throughout most of its headquarters building, 3 Whitehall Place. It is estimated that two thirds of the building space directly managed by DECC already has LED lighting, with more being installed over the coming months.

Public Appointments

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, on how many occasions his Department has made appointments by exception since 2010; and who was appointed for each such post.

Amber Rudd: Under the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, DECC has only utilised the exceptions of short term/temporary appointments, secondments and transfers of organisations into the Civil Service – TUPE. Please note DECC only holds data from November 2010. Since this date we have made 150 exception appointments under these categories. The names of those appointed at grade 6 and below (or equivalent) are withheld under the Data Protection Act 1998. Additionally, DECC’s systems do not always record the equivalent grade for those seconded from industry and therefore we are unable to release these names under the Data Protection Act 1998. Our records confirm that we have appointed four members of the SCS as an exception – Peter Boyd, Miles Bradbury, Gordon Dunfield-Prayero and David MacKay.

Freedom of Information

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many Freedom of Information requests his Department has declined to answer in full since 2010.

Amber Rudd: Between January 2010 and September 2014 DECC withheld information on 1250 occasions.Statistics on the Freedom of Information performance of Government Departments since January 2010 are published by the Ministry of Justice. They are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics#2010-2012.The published statistics include the numbers of requests received by each Department, the numbers answered in full and where information was partly or fully withheld.

Pay

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many Instant Rewards of what value were given to his Department's officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Amber Rudd: The Department has taken the term Instant Rewards to mean non-pay awards. Non pay awards are used as a quick way of acknowledging achievements by members of staff.(a) During 2013, 623 awards were made with a total value of £15k.(b) In the period January to June 2014, 230 awards have been made with a total value of £5k.

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Northern Ireland

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, for what reasons Northern Ireland has been excluded from the Warm Home Discount Scheme; and if he will amend this Scheme to extend its remit to Northern Ireland.

Amber Rudd: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office

Freedom of Information

John Woodcock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Freedom of Information requests his Department has declined to answer in full since 2010.

John Woodcock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent on legal fees over prevention of release of information requested by Freedom of Information requests since 2010.

John Woodcock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Freedom of Information requests 10 Downing Street has declined to answer in full since 2010.

John Woodcock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much 10 Downing Street has spent on legal fees over prevention of release of information requested by Freedom of Information requests since 2010.

Mr Francis Maude: The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office. Information on departments’ handling of FOI requests is published on a quarterly basis by the Ministry of Justice and is available at GOV.UK under the series Government FOI Statistics.I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 10 July 2014 to UIN: PQ204306-PQ20470.

Electronic Government

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer to Question 211904 on the Gov.uk Verify Programme, whether assisted digital is available for that programme.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer to Question 211904 on the Gov.uk Verify Programme, whether users are able to choose whether to participate in the beta trial; and whether performance data on the beta trial is being collected.

Mr Francis Maude: Each digital service that needs identity assurance will decide how and when to implement GOV.UK Verify, including assisted digital support and offering choices for other ways to access services. For those not online, an assisted digital route will be available for each exemplar service.Performance data is being collected to help improve and develop the service. GDS will start publishing the performance data in due course.

John Manzoni

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what representations he has received about the appointment of John Manzoni as Chief Executive of the Civil Service.

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential for conflict of interest between John Manzoni's non-executive directorship of SAB Miller and his post as Chief Executive of the Civil Service.

Mr Francis Maude: John Manzoni declared his interests to Cabinet Office officials. It was agreed he could retain his non-executive directorship of SABMiller, which he is doing in his own time on an unpaid basis and which comes to an end in Summer 2015.As chief Executive of the Civil Service, John Manzoni has no involvement in any aspect of alcohol policy and there is therefore no conflict of interest.We have received a number of representations welcoming this appointment.

Welsh Language

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the need to provide access to his Department's services in Welsh.

Mr Francis Maude: Cabinet Office work closely with the Wales Office to support Welsh speakers in accessing government information and services.

Average Earnings

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the average earnings in (a) each constituency in London, (b) London, (c) England, (d) Scotland, (e) Wales and (f) the UK.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



ONS Letter to Member - Average Earnings
(PDF Document, 111.2 KB)

Skin Cancer

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have died as a result of skin cancer since January 2011.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



ONS Letter to Member - Skin Cancer Death
(PDF Document, 116.57 KB)

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Society Network Foundation

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what office space his Department provided to the Society Network Foundation between 2010 and 2014.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what office space his Department provided to the Big Society Network between 2010 and 2014.

Mrs Helen Grant: DCMS provided office space at 179A Tottenham Court Road to the Big Society Network from 28/7/2010 to 26/11/2010.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to answer Questions 205354, 205306 and 205290 tabled on 11 July 2014 for answer on 15 July 2014.

Mrs Helen Grant: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport responded to the parlimantary questions tabled by my hon. friend on 18th July.

Department of Health

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 22 October 2013, to Question 171517, for what reasons NHS England's review into stereotactic radiosurgery was not completed by the end of 2013; and when NHS England will complete this review.

Jane Ellison: NHS England released ‘Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Radiotherapy Services – needs assessment and service review’ on 3 November. NHS England is now consulting on this document until 26 January 2015, after which it will publish a report outlining the key themes of the consultation findings on its website.   NHS England advises us that the review took more time than originally planned to ensure that the options being consulted on were as comprehensive as possible. This included further testing of a number of issues including the appropriate level of throughput activity in each centre.

Drugs: Misuse

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when Public Health England plans to report on the consultation on drug misuse and dependence.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) has convened an expert group, chaired by Professor John Strang, to consider the responses to the consultation on a possible update to the United Kingdom guidelines on the clinical management of drug misuse and dependence.   PHE will be providing an update on the plans of the expert group in winter 2014-15 following its initial meeting on 7 October 2014. The expert group plans to complete its advice to PHE and the devolved administrations by early 2016.

Cancer

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the performance of the National Cancer Peer Review Programme.

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had on the future of the National Cancer Peer Review Programme.

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cancer-specific reviews were completed by the National Cancer Peer Review Programme team in each financial year since the programme began; and how many cancer-specific reviews are scheduled to be conducted by the National Cancer Peer Review Programme after the current financial year.

Jane Ellison: NHS England is currently reviewing the National Cancer Peer Review programme with a view to considering how its success might be extended into other new areas of specialised commissioning. Regardless of the outcome of this review, cancer peer review will continue to play a critical part of any broader peer review programme NHS England may look to introduce.   The number of visits undertaken by the programme changes based on how many risk visits and how many comprehensive visits are carried out. The highest number of visits completed in any one year since the programme began was 535 in 2012-13, when comprehensive visits to acute oncology were carried out. Generally, between 400 and 450 visits are completed each year.   As the programme has moved to risk assessed visits only rather than comprehensive visits (as comprehensive visits to all tumour sites have been completed) the number of visits has reduced; in 2013-14 there were 424 cancer visits.   This year, between April 2014 and October 2014, 100 cancer visits and 28 major trauma centre visits have been carried out.

Benzodiazepines

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will request that the Care Quality Commission publishes data on trends of GP practices prescribing benzodiazepine.

Norman Lamb: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.   The CQC has provided the following information:   CQC are not currently conducting a review of the prescribing of benzodiazepine.   Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) collect data on the prescribing of benzodiazepine but this is not collated nationally. The CQC would be alerted to any prescribing trends and outliers during discussions with the CCGs when a GP practice is inspected.

University College Hospital

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether University College Hospital London included the provision of gamma knife services at its Queen Square site in its notification log to commissioners before 1 April 2013.

Jane Ellison: The Consolidated Notification Log 2012/13 record dated 30 September 2011 makes reference to a gamma knife service that might be available sometime in the future at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, part of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH). A gamma knife service is not currently provided by the Trust.   A gamma knife service is provided by an independent provider called Queen’s Square Radiotherapy Centre Limited based at Queen’s Square (a site owned by UCLH).

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of its funding (a) Public Health England and (b) Health Education England allocates to mental health.

Norman Lamb: Public Health England (PHE) came into existence on 1 April 2013. Since then PHE has developed a dedicated public mental health programme. In the current financial year, 2014-15, its direct investment in mental health equates to about 1% of PHE’s total £400 million spend, approximately £4 million.   Health Education England (HEE) does not routinely analyse its budget by specialty. However, using information provided for financial planning purposes, it has estimated that 8% of its total expenditure specifically relates to mental health. This may be an underestimate as there are elements of HEE’s expenditure that relate to mental health that cannot be disaggregated from total spending.

NHS: Re-employment

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS staff have been made redundant and subsequently re-employed by NHS organisations on a (a) permanent and (b) fixed-term contract basis since May 2010.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The number of National Health Service staff estimated to have been made redundant since May 2010 and subsequently, up until July 2014, re-employed by an NHS organisation on a permanent basis is 2,502 and a fixed term contract basis is 1,870.

Prescriptions

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of lives saved and (b) cost savings that could be made through a reduction in prescribing errors.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has any plans to strengthen the training of (a) clinicians and (b) nurses to reduce prescribing errors.

George Freeman: NHS England published a Patient Safety Alert on 20 March 2014 on improving medication error incident reporting and learning. This cited research on medication error rates in medicine, including prescribing error rates of: - 7% of prescription items in hospitals; and - 5% of prescriptions in general practice of which 0.18% were severe errors.   There is limited research to quantify actual harm arising from prescribing errors, many of which are picked up by pharmacists at the dispensing stage.   Significant investment has been made by the Department, Health Education England and NHS Education for Scotland over the last four years in the development of a National Prescribing Safety Assessment. This is a joint initiative by the Medical Schools Council and the British Pharmacological Society involving the United Kingdom’s leading experts in prescribing, clinical pharmacology and medical assessment. It is intended to enhance patient safety by ensuring that all new graduates entering the first year of Foundation training have achieved a basic standard of practice.   It is the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) role to ensure that nurse and midwife prescribers provide an appropriate level of treatment and care for their patients. The NMC does this by setting standards to ensure that nurses and midwives are competent to prescribe drugs, and by making sure that their knowledge and skills in prescribing remain up-to-date.

Cancer: Drugs

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to NHS England's consultation document Proposal for a sustainable Cancer Drug Fund, page 9, Points 24 and 25, what NHS England's overspend of the Cancer Drug Fund (CDF) was during its first year in charge of the CDF; whether the CDF was in budget each year prior to 1 April 2013; how much was taken from the radiotherapy budget to underwrite the overspend; from which disease area money was taken to underwrite the CDF overspend; and how much funding was taken in such a fashion to underwrite the overspend.

George Freeman: Prior to April 2013, the Cancer Drugs Fund was administered through clinical panels based in each strategic health authority. There were no overspends through the Fund during this period.   NHS England has had oversight of the Cancer Drugs Fund since April 2013 and publishes information on spend and patient numbers routinely on its website at:   www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/   NHS England has published a summary financial report for the Cancer Drugs Fund which states that the Fund was overspent by £30,539,000 in 2013-14. We understand from NHS England that this overspend was not funded from funding for radiotherapy services but from underspends in other parts of NHS England’s budget.   Since October 2010, over 55,000 patients in England have benefitted from the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England's Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Radiotherapy Services Needs Assessment and Service Review published in November 2014 is solely for the purpose of assessing the needs of intracranial radiotherapy treatment in England.

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to NHS England's Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Radiotherapy Services Needs Assessment and Service Review published in November 2014, what evidence NHS England has received that demonstrates that instances of both malignant and benign brain tumours are lower in England than in other devoloped countries; and for what reasons NHS England is supporting proposals which will prevent the NHS from adopting a programme to allow it to reach parity with other developed countries for the provision of stereotactic radiotherapy for brain tumours.

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to NHS England's Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Radiotherapy Services Needs Assessment and Service Review published in November 2014, section 58, how NHS England is able accurately to protect the growth requirements for stereotactic radiosurgery if the data source it is using does not allow it to draw firm conclusions for the purposes of this Review.

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to NHS England's Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Radiotherapy Services Needs Assessment and Service Review published in November 2014, section 96, if he will ensure that NHS England's proposals to use modified Linacs to supplement highly specialised stereotactic radiotherapy provision (a) comply with national recommendations that a minimum number of 25 patients is treated each year and (b) do not reduce patient access to the conventional radiotherapy the Linacs are designed to provide.

Jane Ellison: NHS England’s review is concerned with assessing and meeting the need for the treatment of intracranial conditions with SRS/SRT; fractionated extracranial radiotherapy and Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR) are not included in the review.   The two activity scenarios in the consultation document assume a significant growth in treatment rates. Scenario A is based on the level of need identified in the NHS England Clinical Commissioning Policies, whilst scenario B is based on an expected growth demand based on the treatment rates of some other European countries. The relative merits of these two scenarios are laid out from page eight of the consultation document   www.engage.england.nhs.uk/survey/options-for-change/supporting_documents/srssrtconsultguide021114.pdf   NHS England’s reasons for recommending scenario A with a seven-day working week, ‘Option 2’, is set out in their report as follows:   “SCOG [the Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group] decided on Option 2 as the preferred option as it is based on seven-day working, which aligns to the national strategic direction of moving towards seven-day service provision. Additionally, the risk of overcapacity is minimised if clinical trends change more slowly than expected because the centres providing the service could revert to fewer days per week. The avoidance of machines lying idle 2/7ths of the week will ensure best price for the NHS. Option 2 could be superseded by further expansion of national capacity should the activity levels increase beyond those described in Scenario A.”   “It was recognised that in planning for Option 2, future increases in capacity would still be possible should activity levels rise beyond those described in Scenario A, in order to mitigate any risk of future under-capacity”   The national recommendation that a minimum number patients be treated each year relates specifically to Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR) which is out of the scope of this consultation.   NHS England's Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Radiotherapy Services Needs Assessment and Service Review is currently subject to an ongoing public consultation, which closes on 26 January 2015. NHS England would welcome any detailed comments being fed directly into the consultation process, including on data sources. Comments can be made at this link:  www.engage.england.nhs.uk/survey/options-for-change

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to act upon the research by the National Institute for Health Research into idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

George Freeman: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is funding a systematic review of evidence on the benefits, harms and costs of treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The report is expected to be published in the journal Health Technology Assessment in January 2015.   The NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) provides support to help the life sciences industry set up and deliver large multi-centre clinical trials in the National Health Service, across a wide range of disease and therapeutic areas. The CRN is currently hosting trials assessing the efficacy and safety of lebrikizumab and simtuzumab in patients with IPF. The CRN is also recruiting patients to a pilot study seeking to test whether omeprazole can reduce cough in patients with IPF.

Pregnancy: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of clinical commissioning groups have a perinatal mental health strategy.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of clinical commissioning groups provide a perinatal mental health service.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The requested information is not held centrally.

Mental Illness

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish further details of the extension of the funding for the Time to Change programme up until March 2016 that he announced on 10 October 2014 at the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Norman Lamb: The Department has made a public commitment to continue funding the Time to Change programme and will publish further details in due course.

Pregnancy: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for perinatal mental health.

Dr Daniel Poulter: I am the Minister responsible for perinatal mental health. Information on my responsibilities is available on the gov.uk website at the following link:   www.gov.uk/government/ministers/parliamentary-under-secretary-of-state-for-health